Chapter Eight
“Why are you here?” I asked him from behind Marcus.
“I owe you an explanation.”
“What makes you think I would trust you again?”
“Just hear me out, okay?” Tobie asked, and Marcus turned to me.
“Do you want me to get rid of him?” he questioned.
“No, I can handle this myself. I was just leaving anyway.” He eyed me apprehensively.
“Come back here when you’re done.” Marcus demanded. I waved it off as I walked out of the door with Tobie.
“Who do you think you are? Showing up at his house and demanding to talk to me. After all that you’ve done. Honestly, the nerve of some people.” I scolded.
“I know. I’m sorry, but I can explain. I really can.” I glared at him.
“I don’t think there is any excuse in this whole world to justify trying to kill someone. Was it for money? Power? “
“No. It was for none of that. Do you honestly think that I would murder someone for something as artificial as money?”
“I don’t know what to think of you or Callistus anymore. I thought you were my friends, but when you try to kill me it makes me believe otherwise. Well, because friends usually don’t go around poisoning each other! What was the real reason you came back here? Was it to finish me off? To think that I risked my life to save you in that arena and then you throw it back in my face. I need to start picking some better friends!”
“They were going to kill my father!” he boomed, the sound echoing through the vast field of grass. The meadow Marcus and I had visited turned out to be right near his house. There was dead silence as I looked up at him, just waiting for him to cool off. And okay, maybe that was a good excuse, but he still tried to kill me! I’m a forgiving person, but not that forgiving.
“I’m sorry. It’s kind of stressing me out that I’m the target of a planned murder. So what happened to you after the… arena?” I prodded.
“ I don’t want to talk about it.” His jaw clenched menacingly, and I knew that was the end of the discussion. Now was no longer the time for being loquacious, but still I continued to prompt him to answer the question.
“ It’s okay. You can talk to me. I promise I don’t bite.”
“ I already said that I don’t want to talk about it. But I’m really sorry. It won’t happen again. You won’t even see me again. I have to go. ” he said as he began rushing away from me for the second time.
“ What are you talking about? Tobie, come back here! Tobie!” I cried, but he only ran faster, disappearing in a dark smudge on the horizon. I walked back to the house in disbelief. I slammed the front door as I entered. Marcus spotted me as he tended to the crackling fire.
“ So I’m going to take a wild guess that it didn’t go too well?”
“ Not so much.” I hadn’t really gotten the answers I was looking for. He just left me more confused than before. There were still so many blanks to fill in. “ So what are we doing today?” I asked.
